I don't really like the word blog, but it seems pointless to fight it, Zis is a blog.
If you want to know more about an Algerian girl who lives in London and struggles with thoughts that are beyond the remits of her understanding, stories of society and social climbers of love and deception and of a status of seemingly eternal singlehood, then you are in the right place...

Thursday, 23 May 2013

Dios Mio

Playing with mummy's perls and heels!

I started scribbling this draft, already looking behind me; I had to dig out some old dusty screen shields from the stationery cupboard (and stole a pen), as I googled the first keyword I already looked shifty and suspicious, my Google search was instantly flagged as suspicious material and for fear of having HR and security on my case, I shut it down immediately. I kept writing using code words and shorthand, which I made up because I don’t know what shorthand is, just to avoid anyone reading from my screen! Dios Mio la paranoia!

I was sitting at a terrace the other day with a friend, he happens to have a daughter who looks older than her 10 years, in fact she looks just like the models on the banners we were staring at on the window shops of Miss Selfridges. My friend seems to be worried about the similarities and how his young child could be perceived as a model, a sexy model, regardless of whether Miss Selfridges might cater for teenagers or not, the pictures of the models used were those of very young looking frail little girls dressed very sexily and provocatively and Chris looked increasingly worried.

My first thought, self-centred as ever, was: “no wonder I can’t find a decent man” but I didn’t voice it for fear of sounding too shallow in the face of his fatherly worries over the fact, the high street and the fashion industry could be inadvertently or not, cultivating a paedophiliac culture. There I said it.

Could it be the case? Could it be that the fashion industry is brainwashing people into seeing children as sexy? Into the adultification of children? And consequently but perhaps not so relevant here, making us look and feel less attractive because we lack the freshness and firmness of our teens and strive to find the fountain of youth through indulging into this very consumerist and shallow tourbillion of fashion and trends.

Children (and blondes…and my friend Tania) are the most easily influenced demographics in terms of consumption, and marketers have an easy job steering their tendencies and trends, parents will undoubtedly find it hard to fight the “pester power”* and this massive fashion monster and logo culture that is everywhere you look, on TV, press, internet, buses, airport, trains and every last available space for advisement (one day they’ll advertise in our dreams).

Without digressing further from the topic, what seems to be happening is an inappropriate sexualisation through clothing and make-up and the fact all children want to look like their favourite pop star or footballer, which could engender other issues such as children being blamed for being molested or harassed following in the women-ask-for-it-old chestnut; the Guardian published an articlequoting with no traceable source given, a piece published by the church where it appears they partially blame children for pedophilia, it says: "Methods of dressing which are almost next to sheer nakedness have hyperbolically** increased the incidence of rape and vilification of otherwise innocent children."

The main concern here is over the ‘adult’ styling of fashion for children, especially girls. Girls’ fashions can provoke anxiety about the sexualisation of young female bodies; a concerned parent said the following to me: “I mean if they are marketing bras to a seven year old, it’s a pædophile’s dream isn’t it?”

I chose to stop here, this is just food for thought for parents out there who need to recognise; first the impact of commercial industries on children (the new commodity) over their innocence, looks, welfare and how they are commodified, transformed into sexual objects and therefore targets.

And second that succumbing to their children’s nagging over the logos and the latest in fashion is supporting the commercial industries and the sexual offenders, who are like poised vultures who count on this very obliviousness on the parents’s side.

But you must often wonder; how did these predators come to be? Are they aliens from another planet where the way of life is different? Where children are sexual objects regardless of their gender?

Paedophilia has always been a taboo subject, but in recent years, as much as more awareness has been raised about this problem, instead of discussing the problem and assessing prevention and solution, it seems to have gone the other way, so much so that nobody can utter the word without fear or being stared at or chased with sticks, one would think there is a conscious effort striving to keep it taboo, to surround it with the utmost prudery and secrecy that victims wouldn’t talk and parents deal in secret whilst predators roam free; unnamed and unashamed.

Notice how most people are always wary of looking at a cute kid in the street or pat his hair, cannot smile at a child, how we consciously strive not to look or make eye contact for fear of being labelled a kiddie-fiddler. Yet nobody ever voices their concern or frustration, nor seems to question the over sexualisation of our children.

Notwithstanding, the physical and philological traits that exist within the offender, notwithstanding, the local, geographical and economical situation of certain cultures and countries that perhaps cultivate sexual perverseness not intentionally but more as a result of frustrations, segregation, poverty and more, or the intrinsic reasons for the paedophile to come to be. We should be concerned mostly with the protection of children and teenagers, from all the monsters of this world, the fashion, the religious and not just the outright perverse sexual predators.

You might find this all very controversial, but I believe you need to vulgarise the topic in all its terms and use when appropriate, regardless of the dreadful feeling it carries with it, regardless of people’s looks of horror and shock.

Dz-chick….philanthropist in training!

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* pester power: nagging and pestering the parent for the latest trainers and the latest toy

14 comments:

Not necessarily true I am afraid, it's not black and white!Are you familiar with the lolita syndrome? It is: adolescentism, ephobophilia sexology, a paraphilia deviancy in which adolescents are the focus of sexuoerotic fantasies and/or acts.

There is no diffrence between a child of 2 and an undeage teen of 15 in the eyes of the law when it comes to paedophlia or the sexual predators themselves!

the mundane elite has always seen child abuse as a chic transgression, not to mention that this is more usual than we think in entertainment industry (many young girls between 13 and 16 casted for agencies like Elite has frightening testimonies about drugs and rape..) See also the dark side of the Dutroux, Roman Polanski and lately the BBC and Jimmy Saville cases.. it's disgusting but not that surprising..

It's true Homo E the second link I posted shows and talks of how the teen and child models are subjected to a very sexual and adult life at such a young age, how they are adultified to the point where people don't see the harm in exercising sexual relations with them which obviously constitutes rape and paedophlia!

Jimmy Savill being a prime example of these sorts of adults who take full advantage of these unprotected children!Infuriating!

I find your article interesting as always,it become common here "algeria" lately that young men from our generation : 25 to 35 years old are more interesting into dating girls in their 16 ! and sometimes less ! marrying them by the age of 19 because law doesn't allow younger girls to be brides I remember my self being 14 , still playing outside with the kids and watching all kind of great adventures cartoons Now that my younger sister is 14 herself, she takes the time to explain some purely sexual informations ( that I ignore or only learned few months ago ) it's scary ...children are more aware of sex,but pedophiles by definition are people who are attracted to children "that look innocent and ignorant about sex" it's the feeling of mastering , teaching , and watching them discover it that makes the pedophile likes itYasmine

There sonething else Yasmine; why is it that most men's favourite bedroom games are role play ones and the most common one seems to be fooling around eith school girls uniform!!! Everybody think it's a normal and healthy fantasy to have...the informs are sold on the high street! They even sell the lollipops!!

What's the message here? It's ok to have sexual relations/flirtatious games with an underage schools girl?

I don't think this kind of fashion is a cause of pedophilia... In Algeria, for example, the recent affairs show that the criminals are far from being influenced by commercials. In most of the cases, she sexual taboo in our society push some teenagers to sexually harrass innocent children and to develop after years that sort of sexual deviance...

Mwhat's your source? Is that a fact! Very disturbing if it's the case. Disturbing!!

Le Chat I know it's not just the fashion industry, I did refer to other issues but it was simply not the angle I was taking on the topic. Gender segragation, frustration, poverty to count by a few are other issues that could lead directly or indirectly to sexual perversion and/or crimes!

Gentilchatnoir made a valid point regarding sexual frustration in Algeria or any Muslim countries for that matter. Poverty is not a contributing factor to paedophilia dz chick. Paedophilia is a hobby for the rich & educated. Belgium, the haven for paedophiles, has had many cases involving judges and members of the bourgeoisie & aristocratie, the same applies everywhere in the world. Clearly you have just tackled one angle of this topic. Paedophiles are sick individuals that should have all limbs and sexual organs removed. Death is too easy of an option but I guess it's preferrable to the 3 or 4 year sentences Western countries deem sufficient to serve. In some countries in the world paedophilia is the norm, M made a point. Men from the Gulf countries purchase Syrian girls from refugee camps in Middle East countries. They are SICK! I am pleasantly surprised that you discussed the issue, albeit from a certain angle. I disagree with some of your statements includind the lolira syndrome which is a different story altogether.

I disagree, poverty is a massive cause and contributing factor to paedophlia. Examples of poor families selling their sons and daughters to rich business men or putting them on the sex trade/sex tourism trade.